Wordsmithy (Timberdoodle Review)

Timberdoodle sent me another book to review this week: Wordsmithy by Douglas Wilson.

I guess I could have just assigned it to my high schoolers to read on their own. (Then they could’ve put what they’d learned into practice by writing this review for me. Ha!)

But I didn’t do that.

Because I’m a writer myself and because I wanted my younger children to benefit from the content, as well, I chose to read it aloud to all of them.

And I thoroughly enjoyed every word of it.

The book is short — only 120 pages — and to the point. But it is jam-packed with so much practical wisdom and highbrow humor that I’m afraid my kids might have skimmed right over the best parts without fully appreciating them.

I lost count of how many times the text made me laugh out loud. Wilson has a delightfully subtle wit that I just love.

He also practices what he preaches, with deft precision, and carefully measures his words so that none are wasted.

This gem of a book is filled with tips and secrets guaranteed to improve the writing of any student — novice or professional — who is willing to incorporate them. I caught my author-husband perusing the table of contents last week when he spotted Wordsmithy lying on our end table.

He’s called dibs on reading it next. 🙂

If you are interested in doing the same, Timberdoodle sells the book individually and as part of their 11th grade curriculum package.

UPDATE: Although Timberdoodle still offers a plethora of wonderful products, they longer carry this book. I have no idea why. It remains one of my favorites and is something I assigned as required reading during the years I taught a high school level creative writing course at our homeschool co-op. Fortunately, Wordsmithy is still available through Amazon, if you’re interested.